Apple-owned TestFlight surfaces in App Store as native app ahead of iOS 8 launch

test flight

TestFlight, a service allowing developers to beta test mobile apps on the fly, is now available as a native iPhone and iPad application in the App Store.

Apple snapped up Burstly, the company behind TestFlight, back in February to help its registered developers distribute their iPhone and iPad apps to beta testers before pushing them to the App Store for release.

TestFlight is available free of charge and requires iOS 8.0 or later.

Previously, TestFlight was a web app which, when accessed through mobile Safari on iOS devices, allowed anyone to register their device to test third-party software.

Upon installing a provisioning profile on one’s device, re-opening the web app let you access a list of work-in-progress apps that their developers had made available for testing.

testflight_ios_8_app

A simple tap on an app would initiate the download directly on the Home screen, saving you time compared to having to side-load the app’s binary on your device through desktop iTunes.

“Once you join a developer’s beta test through their email invitation, TestFlight makes it easy to install or update to new bet versions as they become available,” Apple writes in release notes accompanying the 2.4-megabyte download.

Features include:

  • To receive your beta test invitation, all an app developer needs is your email address
  • You will receive beta invitations in your inbox
  • Accept the invitation to open TestFlight and install the app
  • TestFlight will then notify you when new versions are available
  • Tap to upgrade to the latest version and keep testing

Following the Apple deal, TestFlight terminated Android support and discontinued its TestFlight SDK.

Again, TestFlight requires iOS 8.0 so most people won’t be able to enjoy the program until after iOS 8.0 gets released for public consumption later this month.

[App Store via MacRumors]